Linton Johnson III makes Spurs debut – finally

Linton Johnson III, who signed with the Spurs in the offseason, at long last got to play in a Spurs uniform.

Johnson hadn’t even made it to the Spurs’ training camp last fall when his injury problems started. First it was a sprained ankle. Then he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot. His second injury required surgery more than three months ago.

Johnson entered Friday’s game with 3:49 left in the second quarter. He was in the game less than 10 seconds when he took his first shot, a jumper that came up short. He had a more positive impact 15 seconds later when he grabbed a defensive rebound to start a Spurs break that resulted in a Tony Parker basket.

With 2:27 left in the second quarter, Johnson chased down a long defensive rebound and got the ball down the floor for a quick Brent Barry 3-pointer.

The Spurs finished the half with a 59-39 lead. Parker led the Spurs with 11 points in the first half. Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry had 10 points each and both hit two 3-pointers. The Spurs made 7 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half.